Bozoma Saint John is departing Netflix after less than two years as its chief marketing officer.
Marian Lee, Netflix’s vice president of marketing in the United States and Canada, will take over for Saint John, who joined the business in June 2020.
The corporation did not comment on why Bozoma is leaving when it revealed the departures on Thursday. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, on the other hand, stated in a statement that he “loved working with Boz and have been inspired by her creativity and energy,” adding that she “attracted world class marketers to the company and encouraged them to be innovative leaders.”
Lee spent nearly a decade at Spotify before joining Netflix in July, and she has also worked in marketing at Condé Nast and J. Crew. Sarandos hailed Lee as “a strategic marketer with deep experience not only in entertainment but also in fashion and media brands.”
Lee stated in a statement, “Netflix is an incredible brand with the best content and creative teams in the world.” “I am confident that our most exciting work is yet to come, and I am honoured to lead this best-in-class global marketing team into the future, connecting our incredible series and films with audiences all over the world.”
Netflix has launched a number of pandemic-era initiatives under Saint John’s guidance, including an ad utilizing its characteristic “tu-dum” sound, a partnership with WWE to promote The Walking Dead, and immersive experiences for successful programs like Stranger Things and Money Heist.
According to executive recruitment agency Spencer Stuart, CMOs have the lowest tenures of any C-suite leader, with the typical CMO lasting just 40 months in 2020. However, Saint John, who was named No. 1 on Forbes’ 2021 list of the World’s Most Influential CMOs, spent less than half of that time at Netflix. She has also held top marketing positions at a number of technology and entertainment organizations over the last decade.